The Cinematic Marvel Universe

We went to see The Incredible Hulk last night and had a good time. Iron Man was better, but this was still fun. But even more exciting than the individual film was the clear emergence of what Harry Knowles is calling "The Cinematic Marvel Universe." Just as the characters from different comic titles cross over, interact, and impact each other, so they are doing now that Marvel is making their own movies. In Iron Man we saw snippets of S.H.I.E.L.D. and had an after-credits scene with Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury approaching Tony Stark about "a team." At the end of The Incredible Hulk, Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark approaches General Ross about "a team." Marvel has already announced plans for Iron Man II, Thor, a period Captain America, and The Avengers--that previously mentioned team, starring all of the previously named heroes--over the course of the next couple of years. In addition, the military in Hulk uses weapons made by Stark Industries. It also had mentions of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Fury. The Hulk has an obscure reference to the super soldier serum that gave Captain America his powers. Both movies have minor characters whom we know end up as other heroes and villains. They're not just making stand-alone movies, but an entire universe of characters who will be interacting with each other for years to come.